All Switzerland articles – Page 6
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NewsCeneri Base Tunnel inaugurated
SWITZERLAND: The 15·4 km Ceneri Base Tunnel between Bellinzona and Lugano was formally inaugurated on September 4, with President of the Swiss Confederation Simonetta Sommaruga cutting a ribbon before the inaugural freight train ran south. This was followed by special passenger trains carrying guests in each direction. ...
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NewsBLS CEO steps down after Federal Audit Office finds flaws in accounting processes
SWITZERLAND: The country’s second largest railway has an overly complex accounting process which needs improvement, according to an investigation of flawed reporting for public funding by BLS which was published by the Federal Audit Office on September 3. Following the publication of the report, BLS announced that ...
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NewsThree prequalify for large Swiss train contract
SWITZERLAND: Three manufacturers have prequalified for a contract to supply a total of 194 electric-multiple units in a procurement process which is being run by Swiss Federal Railways and its local operating joint ventures Thurbo in Thurgau and RegionAlps in Valais. The shortlisted bidders announced on September ...
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NewsSBB sells fire rescue trains to Norway
NORWAY: Swiss Federal Railways has sold three LRZ96 fire-fighting and rescue trains to Norwegian infrastructure manager Bane NOR, which is developing a new emergency response concept. The locomotive-hauled trains were originally supplied to SBB by Josef Meyer, Cattaneo and Dräger Safety in 1996. Each comprises a firefighting ...
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NewsDigital automatic couplers on test
Source: DB/Volker Emersleben EUROPE: Trials with prototype digital automatic couplers from four manufacturers are to start this month, with a view to selecting a single type of coupler that could be introduced across Europe. Testing will continue through to December 2022. The pilot project aims to obtain ...
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NewsRhätische Bahn orders 20 Capricorn EMUs
SWITZERLAND: Rhätische Bahn has placed a SFr172·9m firm order for Stadler to supply a further 20 four-car Capricorn electric multiple-units. The order announced on June 12 has been placed using an option on a SFr361m contract for an initial 36 of the 11 kV 16·7 Hz EMUs ...
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NewsOver 500 trainsets to replace Swiss regional fleets
SBB Stadler Flirt. SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways, Thurbo and RegionAlps have jointly called tenders for the supply of 194 single-deck regional trainsets of a ‘tried and tested platform already in use in a European country’. The order worth up to SFr1∙5bn which was announced on May 18 ...
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NewsSwiss narrow gauge operators to study merger
SWITZERLAND: The Frauenfeld-Wil-Bahn and Appenzeller Bahnen boards have agreed to examine a possible merger of the two companies. The 1 000 mm gauge networks are not connected, but the companies have worked together since 2003 and it is envisaged that combining could reduce costs. ...
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NewsElectric-battery locomotives delivered to Rhätische Bahn
SWITZERLAND: Rhätische Bahn has taken delivery of the first two of seven Geaf 2/2 electric-battery shunting locomotives ordered from Stadler. The SFr21·5 order for the metre-gauge locomotives was placed in September 2018, with RhB undertaking procurement in co-operation with Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn which ordered two similar locos. ...
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NewsLötschberg base tunnel reopened after water ingress mitigated
SWITZERLAND: The Lötschberg base tunnel was fully reopened at 17.00 on April 24, after being closed for almost six weeks because of significant water ingress in the eastern bore. The tunnel initially closed on February 6. One bore was reopened on February 7 and the second ...
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NewsTesting resumes in Ceneri Base Tunnel
SWITZERLAND: Test running has restarted in the 15∙4 km Ceneri Base Tunnel at the southern end of the Gotthard corridor. Agreement for the tests to resume on April 20 was reached after tunnel contractor AlpTransit Gotthard AG concluded discussions with medical specialists at operator SBB and the ...
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NewsSwiss Combi’s purchase of SBB Cargo stake approved
Swiss Combi’s purchase of a 35% stake in SBB Cargo AG has been approved by the country’s Competition Commission SWITZERLAND: Swiss Combi’s purchase of a 35% stake in SBB Cargo AG was approved by the country’s Competition Commission on April 2. The transaction for an undisclosed sum ...
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NewsBLS orders EMUs
SWITZERLAND: BLS has placed a firm order for a further six Stadler Flirt electric multiple-units. The order has been placed using an option on a contract for an initial 52 six-car Flirt EMUs which was signed by BLS and Stadler in January 2018. Stadler had been named ...
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NewsItalian cross-border traffic restricted
ETR610 Pendolino trainsets are used on cross-border services to and from Switzerland. EUROPE: Following the introduction of widespread travel restrictions across Italy, Swiss Federal Railways’ services from Genève and Zürich to Venezia have been cut back to Milano. With effect from Thursday March 12 some Zürich – ...
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NewsMatterhorn Gotthard Bahn orders rack EMUs
SWITZERLAND: Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn has awarded Stadler an SFr148·5m contract to supply 12 three-car metre-gauge rack electric multiple-units to replace hauled stock on its regional services. The first of the EMUs are scheduled to be delivered for testing in mid-2022, with all 12 in service from ...
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NewsDirect London – Bordeaux trains could start in 2022, suggests SNCF
A direct London – Bordeaux service could be launched in 2022, President of SNCF International Diego Diaz suggested when commemorative boards were unveiled at London’s St Pancras station to mark a twinning agreement with Bordeaux Saint-Jean.
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NewsGateway Basel Nord secures next phase funding but faces another legal setback
SWITZERLAND: The Grand Council of Basel-Stadt voted on February 12 to approve funding for a loan worth SFr115∙53m to enable construction of a new basin forming part of the Gateway Basel Nord trimodal terminal to go ahead. Known as Dock 3, the 330 m long basin would ...
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NewsNarrow gauge operator orders EMUs
SWITZERLAND: Chemin de Fer Nyon-Saint-Cergue-Morez has awarded Stadler a contract to supply six two-car electric multiple-units. Deliveries are scheduled between late 2021 and early 2022. The 1·5 kV DC EMUs will be similar to four Abe4/8 units which Stadler supplied to the 27 km long metre-gauge line ...
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NewsAppenzeller Bahnen electro-diesel locomotives delivered
SWITZERLAND: Appenzeller Bahnen has taken delivery of two Stadler Gem 2/2 electro-diesel locomotives for use on its infrastructure maintenance trains. The two-axle metre-gauge locomotives were ordered at cost of SFr5·3m in March 2018 to replace 50-year old diesel-only locos. The 28 tonne loocs ...
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NewsFreight coalition publishes Contingency Management handbook
EUROPE: In a bid to avoid the widespread disruption to international rail traffic which occurred following the tunnel collapse at Rastatt in August 2017, and to provide greater resilience for commercially sensitive traffic, a coalition of rail freight operators and industry associations has put together a Contingency ...